US Strike on North Korea Could Put Seoul in Jeopardy

[TomSea]

US Strike on North Korea Could Put Seoul in Jeopardy

SEOUL —

Thousands of North Korean artillery shells raining down on Seoul. Hundreds of tons of high explosives detonating in the densely populated South Korean capital. Missile strikes as far away as Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.

These are just some of the possible consequences U.S. and South Korean military planners must take into account as they consider a pre-emptive strike to halt Pyongyang's steady advances toward developing an offensive nuclear capability.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has repeatedly said it is finished with its predecessor's policy of “strategic patience” toward North Korea, suggesting the possibility of military action to prevent the North from developing a nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could reach the U.S. mainland.

Continued: http://www.voanews.com/a/us-strike-on-north-korea-could-put-seoul-in-jeopardy/3826065.html

[r9etb]

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has repeatedly said it is finished with its predecessor's policy of “strategic patience” toward North Korea...

North Korea is one of those problems that turns a president's hair gray -- anything we do, poses a huge risk to South Korea; and yet doing nothing about an increasingly aggressive and unstable North Korea is not a sustainable policy.

The question is how to do something about North Korea that doesn't result in the destruction of Seoul, and however many thousands of deaths.

It seems to me that the key to the situation is Kim Jong Un.  Find a way to get rid of him, and the North Korean regime probably collapses, though probably not without some ugliness.

[geronl]

It seems to me that the key to the situation is Kim Jong Un.  Find a way to get rid of him, and the North Korean regime probably collapses, though probably not without some ugliness.

Any reason to assume his replacement (another Kim family member, military junta) will be an improvement?

[TomSea]

I agree with R9etb, "if there was a way", I don't think anyone else will be such a madman threatening the world. It's surreal.

[r9etb]

Any reason to assume his replacement (another Kim family member, military junta) will be an improvement?

My impression is that the regime depends on the cult of personality built around the Kim family.  Taking down Kim Jong Un would destabilize the regime.  The question is how -- I think driving him crazy is the best solution; at some point (one hopes) the people around him will have had enough and take him out on their own.

The wild card is li'l Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, who's said to be NK's head of propaganda and agitation.  I don't know that the North Koreans would accept a female cult leader, but if anybody could do it, she could.

As to the possibilities of a military junta, I think their influence would last only about as long as the food -- not long.  They don't have the cult-like status of the boy king.

[driftdiver]

He's thinned out quite a few folks and many of those that remain are fearful.  At least according to whats being published in South Korea.    There are a relatively small number of folks that need to be removed and the rest would probably welcome a change.